Improved measurements of thermally induced birefringence effects in a laser material using a half-wave plate

The polarization dependence of a probe beam for use in measuring thermally induced birefringence effects in a laser-diode end-pumped Nd:YAG ceramic laser has been investigated. The variation in intensity of the probe beam was found to be 10.2% for a linearly polarized probe beam, 20.6% for a circularly polarized probe beam, and 31.4% for a circularly polarized probe beam using a half-wave plate with a pump power of 12 W. The angle between the analyzer and the inclination of the major axis of the elliptical polarization with respect to the x axis was controlled using a half-wave plate. By combining a half-wave plate with a circularly polarized probe beam, the variation in intensity increased compared with conventional methods.